Online identity verification platform and process

ABSTRACT

An online identity verification application may be provided. According to an exemplary embodiment, an online identity verification application may utilize photographic, biometric, and documentation identification protocols. The verification application may use a multi-tier verification process based on identification protocols to verify the owner of a verification account and subsequently verify any linked accounts.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/156,186, filed Oct. 10, 2018, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/570,439, filed Oct. 10, 2017, theentire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

The expansive and accessible growth of online and mobile computingsystems has created a complex network where users interact with oneanother based on the assumed credibility of a user-defined personalprofile. The ability for users to create personal profiles withoutregulation has enabled the creation of fake identities. Online userscreate fake identities that enable them to betray unsuspectingindividuals into providing personal attention or information. Without ameans to verify the identity of the person with whom they areinteracting, the unsuspecting users fall victim to shame and personalharm from the creators of the fraudulent profiles. The fraudulentprofile creators deliver harm in many forms, including (but not limitedto), catfishing, cyberbullying, sex trafficking, monetary or identifytheft and other general crimes, violent or otherwise, in domestic,public or commercial settings. The deviant behavior is carried out afterhaving influenced the victims to trust the credibility of a fraudulentprofile and that the implied or communicated intentions of thefraudulent account creator were legitimate and pure, as relates to thecontent and presentation of the data contained within their fakepersonal profile. It may therefore be desired to implement a system orprocess for verifying the identity of online profile creators and users.

The rise of online interactions allows users to assume identities andcommunicate using those assumed identities. The inherent anonymity ofthe internet allows these users to sometimes use the likeness of otherswhen creating their online identity or sometimes even assume theidentity of unsuspecting individuals. The threats created range frompersonal privacy, theft, and even physical harm.

Children may be vulnerable to users pretending to be peers. Stalkers anddating site predators may assume false identities. Fake accountsassuming someone's identity may be used to spread private or falseinformation in order to damage a person's reputation, mislead others, orbully an individual. Personal, private information may be shared withoutpermission. Identity theft, cyber-bullying and countless other maliciousactions are facilitated by the internet.

It therefore may be desirable to have a platform for verifying theidentity of online accountholders.

SUMMARY

An online identity verification application may be provided. Accordingto an exemplary embodiment, an online identity verification applicationmay utilize photographic, biometric, and documentation identificationprotocols. The verification application may use a multi-tierverification process based on identification protocols to verify theowner of a verification account and subsequently verify any linkedaccounts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments. Thefollowing detailed description should be considered in conjunction withthe accompanying figures in which:

Exemplary FIG. 1 shows an online identity verification processflowchart;

Exemplary FIG. 2 shows a flow chart for creating a profile picture;

Exemplary FIG. 3A shows a graphical user interface of an identityverification application;

Exemplary FIG. 3B shows a graphical user interface of an identityverification application;

Exemplary FIG. 3C shows a graphical user interface of an identityverification application;

Exemplary FIG. 3D shows a graphical user interface of an identityverification application;

Exemplary FIG. 3E shows a graphical user interface of an identityverification application;

Exemplary FIG. 3F shows a graphical user interface of an identityverification application;

Exemplary FIG. 4 shows a technology architecture for the identityverification platform; and

Exemplary FIG. 5 shows a graphical user interface of an identityverification application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description andrelated drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention.Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spiritor the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements ofexemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detailor will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of theinvention. Further, to facilitate an understanding of the descriptiondiscussion of several terms used herein follows.

As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example,instance or illustration.” The embodiments described herein are notlimiting, but rather are exemplary only. It should be understood thatthe described embodiments are not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms“embodiments of the invention”, “embodiments” or “invention” do notrequire that all embodiments of the invention include the discussedfeature, advantage or mode of operation.

Further, many of the embodiments described herein are described in termsof sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of acomputing device. It should be recognized by those skilled in the artthat the various sequences of actions described herein can be performedby specific circuits (e.g. application specific integrated circuits(ASICs)) and/or by program instructions executed by at least oneprocessor. Additionally, the sequence of actions described herein can beembodied entirely within any form of computer-readable storage mediumsuch that execution of the sequence of actions enables the at least oneprocessor to perform the functionality described herein. Furthermore,the sequence of actions described herein can be embodied in acombination of hardware and software. Thus, the various aspects of thepresent invention may be embodied in a number of different forms, all ofwhich have been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimedsubject matter. In addition, for each of the embodiments describedherein, the corresponding form of any such embodiment may be describedherein as, for example, “a computer configured to” perform the describedaction.

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, an online identityverification application may be provided. The application may beimplemented to prevent others from hijacking an online identity. Theapplication may use a multi-tier verification process to ensure andidentify valid accounts. The application may be a downloadableapplication, mobile application, or web-based application that may allowa user to establish a unique online identity by registering personaldata assets and linking those assets to a badge of authenticity.Exemplary data assets may include birthdate, email address, phonenumber, location, social security number, tax ID number, driver'slicense number, passport number, computing device ID, student or facultyidentifier, work identifier or military identifier, commercialidentifiers, banking identifiers, business identifiers, federalidentifiers, state identifiers, account numbers, barcode or RFID scansor chip encrypted data among other possible data assets as would beunderstood by a person having ordinary skill in the art. Data assets mayalso include biometric data, such as facial recognition scans, retinascans, fingerprints or thumbprints, veins, palm prints, hand geometry,iris recognition, odor or scent, DNA, voice recordings, and/or healthstatistics such as heartrate, biorhythmic data, stride and gait data.The application may allow the creation, storage, and linking of thepersonal data assets. The badge of authenticity may include a visualbadge, which may be incorporated in an encrypted photograph. A user maybatch push or post the encrypted photo and/or badge onto a user deviceor web-based media location for the purpose of both displaying theregistered badge and allowing 3^(rd) party users to reverse or import aphoto asset back into the application to verify the photo/badge asset asauthenticated in the application. Furthermore, the application mayrequire protected sign-on or identity verification during each use.

Now referring to the Figures generally, a platform for verifying anonline identity may be provided. The platform may utilize a softwareapplication installed on a device. The device may be a mobile device,personal computer, or tablet. According to exemplary embodiments, thedevice may have a camera, a GPS transceiver, microphone, gyroscope,and/or a finger print scanner. The device may further include at leastone biometric monitoring accessory capable of measuring or scanningbiometric data of a user. In some embodiments, the platform be adownloadable application and may operate across various operatingsystems and computing environments. For example, these environments mayinclude iOS, Android, and personal/enterprise computing systems,including PC or Mac desktops and laptops. In other embodiments, theplatform may operate in a purely or partially web-based environment. Theapplication may store user data on the device's local memory and/or in acloud or enterprise-based storage system. User data may include dataentered by the user through a graphical user interface or data collectedusing device hardware, such as the device camera, microphone, GPStransceiver, gyroscope, or a scanner, such as a fingerprint scanner.

Referring to exemplary FIG. 1, a process for verifying an identity maybe provided. The identity verification application may be accessedthrough a downloadable application or a web-based interface. First, auser may create an account with the identity verification application100. The device enabled application may require a user to create a useraccount by establishing personal bibliographic data. According to someexemplary embodiments, the application may further require contactinformation for sign-up, including an e-mail address and/or telephonenumber. Upon sign-up, the application may require a code provided viae-mail or text message in order to confirm that the user is in-fact theowner of the e-mail and/or telephone number. The application may alsorequire a user to provide user-specific biometric and/or restrictedGPS-based location entries upon sign-up, which may be stored for futureverification of the user as unique to the stored attributes.

The user may enter desired bibliographic information, such as name, age,birthday, address, contact information, and other information used byonline accounts, such as social media, dating, gaming, and shoppingapplications and websites, as would be understood by a person havingordinary skill in the art. The bibliographic information may includerequired and optional elements.

Once a user has established an authenticated account using theapplication, a user may utilize the application to create a profilepicture 102. A specific process for creating a profile picture may beshown in the exemplary flow chart of FIG. 2. The profile picture may bea standard photograph or selfie photograph 102. The picture uploadthrough the application may require that the photo be taken in real timeto ensure the user is present when creating the account. The picture maybe uploaded through a phone camera, webcam, or other camera as would beunderstood by a person having ordinary skill in the art. Once taken oruploaded, a user may be able to accept, retake or cancel the picture.Additionally, the application may enable the creation of a uniquesteganographic log of the profile picture within an applicationdatabase. If the profile picture is changed or retaken, a newsteganographic log may be created, but all steganographic logs forprofile pictures may be tied to a user's unique identity account. Thisdata may be linked by way of the profile from which the data wascreated. It may further be possible for a user to verify multiple imagesfor verified sharing across media platforms. In some embodiments, thepicture may be a 180 degree panoramic picture or a video of the user tobe used as an original or profile picture with steganographic encryptiontied to the user profile. The bibliographic and photographic data may bestored in a verification application database.

A visual stamp of authentication may optionally be applied to theprofile picture and in some embodiments, a cyber-identification numberlinked to a user's profile data elements may be stored in the profilepicture data. For example, the cyber-identification number may beembedded within the stamp and may be displayed or enabled if a userclicks, hard presses, or otherwise interacts with the stamp. The stampor badge may be presented using different tiers, which may berepresented by color, size or location based on the depth, level orapplication of the user's profile setup. This may allow for thedifferentiation of levels of authenticity or arena of use. Furthermore,a user may restrict verified use of their profile to certain GPS-basedgeographical locations.

Additionally, a user may be required to upload certain biometric data104. The biometric data may include a palm print, face, fingerprints,hand geometry, handwriting, iris, retinal, vein, and voice data andother data assets, as detailed above. The biometric data may be capturedthrough a combination of scanners, cameras, and tactile screensimplemented as peripherals or integrated in mobile phones, tablets, orpersonal computers. According to an exemplary embodiment, at least twobiometric data assets may be required in addition to a photograph. Insome exemplary embodiments, recording the biometric data may be requiredto be real time to ensure the account creator is present. The biometricdata may be uploaded and saved in the verification application database.The steps for providing information, including biometric data andpicture, for creating a user account may be required any order and maybe include ongoing requirements. In some exemplary embodiments, thecreation of the profile picture may be the last step of accountcreation.

In some embodiments, a user may upload a scan or image of anidentification document 106. This document may optionally be required tobe government issued, such as a driver's license or passport, as wouldbe understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art. In somefurther exemplary embodiments, a user may upload a scan or image of abill showing identifying information of the account creator 108. Thebill may optionally be required to fall within a certain date range toshow that the data is current. The application may utilize opticalcharacter recognition (OCR) capabilities to read information on theidentification documents and/or the bill. This information may beuploaded to the verification database and may be compared with otherdata entered by the account creator.

The verification application may optionally compare the profile picturewith an image on the uploaded identification document using facialrecognition capabilities to ensure the creator of the account matchesthe holder of the identification. In some embodiments, each piece ofinformation may be required to verify an account.

Once the verification data has been uploaded to a verification database,the information may be compared to ensure the data matches 110. This mayverify the identification verification account creator's identity. Oncethe identity verification application account is verified, the user maylink their new and existing online accounts, such as social mediaaccounts, to their identity verification application account 112. Insome further exemplary embodiments, a user may be able to use theiridentity verification application account to create accounts and log-into third party platforms. The verification application may be capable oftagging a user's data profile or desired data assets, including aprofile picture, with a unique cyber-identification number or globalunique identifier, which may tie the data assets into a single profile.

The identity verification application may compare the identity dataassociated with a particular user with the data stored and/or sharedthrough any linked accounts 114. Where the information is consistent andidentifies the owner of the identity verification account, the linkedaccounts may be verified. According to some exemplary embodiments, aform of verification indicia, such as a verified icon or stamp, may bedisplayed through linked accounts to show that they have been verifiedby the identity verification application 116. This may allow thirdparties interacting with one of the linked accounts to see that theidentity of its creator has been verified.

Owners of verified accounts may optionally choose to engage only withother verified accounts. It therefore may be possible to sendverification requests to all unverified contacts found in the linkedaccounts. Furthermore, the identity verification application mayoptionally remove any unverified contacts or may only accept newcontacts that are verified. When an unverified contact interacts with averified linked account of the verification application user, theverification application may send a request for that unverified contactto verify their accounts using the identity verification application.

In some further exemplary embodiments, the identity verificationapplication may detect attempts to create verification accounts withduplicate information and may alert a user of such instances. Theencrypted profile picture and/or badge may also incorporate trackingcapability to identify all uses of the picture. Any unauthorized usesmay therefore be detected. The identity verification application maysuspend verification of attempted duplicate accounts until resolved.

If during the verification process, a discrepancy is detected among theidentification data collected and analyzed, a verification account maybe suspended. Furthermore, if a verification account is reported asbeing suspicious or false, the account may be suspended pending furtherreview protocols and/or third-party interaction. Suspended accounts mayremove verification stamps from associated or linked accounts. In yetfurther exemplary embodiments, flagged accounts may present a warningstamp on linked accounts.

Other features of the verification application may include the abilityto access phone contact directory data and to send requests by text,mobile application, email or social media request for contacts to verifytheir identity through the identity verification application.Furthermore, the application may allow a user to set a time limitationwithin which contacts must verify their identity. Incoming and outgoingverification requests may be tracked in an inbox and outbox accessiblethrough the application and exemplary statuses may include requested,pending, successfully completed or expired. In some embodiments, a timedreminder request may be sent to contacts when they are nearing theexpiration of a request without having successfully verified theiridentity through the verification application. In some embodiments, usersign-up and or later verification may be performed through proprietaryor third-party identification kiosks, such as airport security kiosksand other kiosks as would be understood by a person having ordinaryskill in the art. The application may share information or otherwiseinteract with kiosks, for example, by sharing stored user informationamong databases or by transferring or receiving user data collectedthrough kiosk hardware.

The application may be capable of pushing the badge and cyberidentification number or steganographic encrypted code to a user'sdevice storage, website or social media profile as a badge ofauthentication that may be applied to a user profile. This may alsoinclude the ability to do a batched push to a number of digital landingpoints via a “select some” or “select all” option prior to executing theexport. The application may further be capable of pushing thesteganographic encoded picture with the badge, either accompanied or notaccompanied by the cyber identification number, to a user's devicestorage, website or social media profile as a badge of authenticationthat can be applied to a user profile, as detailed above. Theapplication may also create a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), which maylink to a database storing encrypted badge and profile picture detailsin addition to desired user data, such as location, time and date stamp,and a device from which the picture was exported. The URL may be usedfor future matching of the profile picture and profile data. Theapplication may allow direct integration with open architecture orcooperative social and web or device-based media to seamlessly postcyber-encrypted badges, profile pictures which may have stenographicencryption and URL assets.

The application may further include features for verification requestsand real-time verification during interactions with other users. Forexample, a real-time selfie, 180 degree panoramic photograph or videomay be sent from within the application upon a request from anotherapplication user. Furthermore, the application may be capable offacilitating real-time video chats, audio chats, or other interactionsfrom within the application. These interactions may be scheduled,initiated, or upon request. A user or third party may also be able toimport an image or video asset through an application interface, wherebythe application may advise if the asset is a verified asset. Theapplication may assess the asset by comparing the asset's steganography,cyber-identification number, URL data, and/or other meta data againstthe data stored within an application user database.

As detailed above, a user may be alerted if their encrypted data, suchas the steganographic code, cyber-identification number or URL data, isused in digital media. The application may allow a user to send anemergency alert to other users if their online identity has beencompromised. In yet further exemplary embodiments, the application mayperform a background check on a user, based on data provided in the userprofile, through reverse lookup or blockchain technology capabilities inthird party web databases.

The application may be capable of integrating and processing paymentdata from a third party payment collection, storage and processingsystem in order to collect revenue and issue credits from usage of theapplication. A user may further be able to pin their location using theapplication and device GPS hardware and may be able to request thatother users pin a location while using the application, in order toverify that users are in the same or different locations on a real-timebasis. The application may also include a search interface for searchingother users' profiles. The application may allow a user to set customprivacy settings, allowing a user's profile or elements of a user'sprofile to be set as restricted or visible to the public. Theapplication may also allow a user to search the internet for matchesbetween a web-based user photo or profile and a verified user profile.The comparison may link the encrypted data to return a positive ornegative match. In addition, the application may process usage analyticsin order to track usage of the application and features for futureproduct and service enhancements. Furthermore, the application mayinclude an interface for uploading or importing an image file, which theapplication may read or scan to identify the presence of malwareembedded within the file metadata. In some exemplary embodiments, theoriginal user profile picture created when setting up an account may bepermanently displayed or otherwise linked to the account. This mayprevent a user from changing their account information to reflect adifferent individual. Also, the user data for an individual may beutilized to prevent that individual from creating multiple user accountsor otherwise attempting to create a misleading profile.

Now referring to exemplary FIG. 2, the profile picture may be created byengaging the application and triggering the application to activate adevice camera. The device camera may then be used to capture a photo,which may be rendered in the application and uploaded or stored as userdata, and which may be accessed by the application 202. In otherembodiments, an existing photo file may be uploaded using theapplication 204. The profile picture image file may optionally be, forexample, a .jpg, .png, or .gif file.

Once a profile picture has been uploaded and is accessible by theapplication, the profile picture image file may be automatically editedby the application program to embed a visual badge of authenticity inthe picture file, which may be visible to users when the picture isdisplayed 206. The profile picture image file may be rendered on ascreen using the application. The application may render the stamp,badge or branding visual element on top of the image file, such that theimages are layered. The application may then combine the layered imagesinto a single new stamped image file.

The new stamped image file may be automatically edited by theapplication program to embed steganographic code or a digital watermarkwithin the picture that may be linked to the user-specific data, orpersonal data stored within the device and user specific data database208. Data described herein may be embedded in the stamp, picture, orcombined stamped picture, as would be understood by a person havingordinary skill in the art. The profile picture may be encrypted with thesteganographic code in a manner capable of preventing tampering and/orediting. The combined image file may then be rendered on the screenusing the application, and an Export feature of the application may beutilized to generate an encoded image for verifying a user's identity.The application may generate an encrypted string of text, which maycontain a global unique identifier (GUID) for the user and/or an exporttimestamp. The export timestamp may be recorded in milliseconds or othertimeframes as desired. Using steganography, the application may encodethe encrypted string into the stamped image file. In some alternativeembodiments, other known methods of digital watermarking or encoding maybe used, as would be understood by a person having ordinary skill in theart. The unique string may be encoded into an Alpha Layer of the imagefile. An Alpha Layer may be an opacity layer in an image file. Duringthe encoding process, the application may conduct a reverse check forany previously encoded data, such as malware. A final image file, whichmay be watermarked and encoded, may result. The final image file may,for example, be in the form of a Base 64 Encoded String, or other formsas would be understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art.

The final image asset may be output, as shown in step 210. The imagefile data of the final image may be used to render the final image on adevice screen using the application. The image file data of the finalimage may also be uploaded to a cloud database in order to re-render thefinal image at any point. The image file data of the final image mayalso be sent via a secure call to a remote server, such as a secure WebService RESTful API call to a remote server. The remote server mayprocess the image file data of the final image and create and save a webaccessible image file on the remote server. A URL path to the image fileon the remote server may be created and saved as user-specific data inthe user record database. A user may optionally save the image file to alocal device or may share the URL path.

Next, a dynamic webpage and URL may be created 212. Using the URL pathto the image file as a payload, a secure Web Service RESTful API callmay be sent to the remote server. The remote server may process theImage URL path and create a new dynamic webpage which may be rendered asa new HTML page. The new HTML page may include the rendered image file,as well as coding used to track analytics. The coding may includeHTML/CSS/JavaScript. The new HTML page may also include Open Graph (OG)and other meta tags to identify all meta data and prepare the webpage tobe shared. The application may return the webpage's URL path to a userand may save the URL path as a user-specific record in the user recorddatabase. The URL path to the webpage may then be shared as a URL, whichmay dynamically pull in the image file. The dynamic webpage may furtherinclude real time tracking of activity and other features, such asbiometric assets, video, or a pre-set webpage expiration. The webpageURL or final image file, encoded with the webpage URL link may be usedto verify an online identity. The URL link may be encoded in thephotograph portion, stamp portion, and/or the entire combined finalimage file, as desired.

Once a user has established an account, recorded user-specific data, andcreated an encrypted photograph and/or badge of authenticity, the usermay utilize the application to verify identity on a range of platforms.The application may be used to push the encrypted or badged photographto any device-enabled features, such as the camera gallery, textmessages, emails, mobile applications, or social media sites. Theauthenticated photograph or badge of authenticity may be used to createpersonal profiles across web-based applications or may be stored in auser account for use as an identification measure in areas of commerce,education, military, or workplace settings. In some embodiments, theapplication may store the encrypted and badged photograph for futurerecall within an application-based gallery.

In an additional step, the identity verification application may utilizeAPI integration with third party social media sites or social networks,including virtual and mixed reality platforms. Using a secure API, whichmay be directly established between the identity verificationapplication and third party networks, a call may be made form theapplication to the respective network with a payload including a user'sGUID and an export timestamp, which may be in milliseconds or othertimeframe as desired. The call may be made every time a photo link isgenerated and may also be made on the initial time that a userestablishes any authentication between the application and therespective network. The encrypted payload of the request may send thenetwork valid authenticated user ID info, which may include the user'scyber ID that ties the application account to all other networks.Finally, the respective third party network may receive the call andconsume the payload. Upon validation of the user existing in the thirdparty network, the third party network may dispatch application layercode to change the user interface of their social network application todisplay a badge icon or copy on the user profile page of the respectivethird party network.

Exemplary graphical user interfaces for performing the steps describedherein utilizing the identity verification application may be seem inFIGS. 3A-3F.

Now referring to exemplary FIG. 4, a technology architecture may beprovided through which the verification application may operate. Allverified images, including images taken through the application orpublicly exported images, may be stored in a real-time cloud image store410. The images may be stored as image files and also as encodedstrings. Image file formats may include .jpg or .png and encoded stringsmay be base64 encoded strings. Processing for authentication, includingthird party social integrations, and methods for putting data in and outof the cloud database may be performed in a cloud processing layer 420.The cloud processing layer may utilize JavaScript. In certainembodiments, the native application may call functions and pass data,but all processing may occur in the cloud processing layer 420. In somealternatively embodiments, processing may be performed in a combinationof the cloud and a device processor or exclusively on a deviceprocessor. All user data may be stored in a real-time cloud datastore430. The datastore may optionally be a noSQL style real-time clouddatastore. The native application, which may be an iOS or Androidapplication, may communicate with the cloud data and cloud processinglayers 410, 420, 430 in order to pass inputs and outputs for userauthentication and access or update user record data from the clouddatabase. According to an exemplary embodiment, processing for biometricinputs may occur locally on a user device 440. The native applicationmay use features on a user device, such as a camera, touch sensors andscanners, facial recognition, and microphone, to collect inputs that mayinclude photos, voice, or touch biometrics. Furthermore, the devicegeolocation features may be used to collect a user location. Other datamay be collected as referenced with regard to embodiments disclosedherein. Once data has been collected, it may be sent to the cloud layersfor storage.

Using inputs from the cloud layers, a web server 450 may process andcreate a user's dynamic URL endpoint 460, which may be expressed as awebpage viewable by web connected devices. The page may be viewablethrough a browser. End users may subsequently view verified photos usingany web connected device 470. The page and/or verified photos mayoptionally be viewed through a browser for through the authenticationapplication. When a user exports a verified photo, it may create a webaccessible link, which may display the photo or image 480. The linkdisplayed as an image may also be shared among devices or on socialmedia platforms.

In some further embodiments, users may request video from other users inorder to verify identity. The video requests may be fulfilled by livevideo or recorded clips. During recorded video clips a user may, forexample, respond to particular questions or queues from a requester.

As indicated above, the verification application may be utilized toverify identity in virtual or mixed reality environments. In suchenvironments, a badge or other indicator of a verified identityexhibiting the functionality disclosed herein may be utilized, as wouldbe understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art.

Interactions with a verified account may be detailed according to thefollowing exemplary embodiment. In this exemplary embodiment, the badgemay have an encrypted watermark, as detailed above, which may facilitateidentity verification through the application. When, for example, thebadge of the picture is engaged, the account holder's cyberidentification number may appear with a link to the account holder'sapplication profile page. The badge, picture, or combination of thebadge and picture may reveal the ID and link when engaged. In someembodiments, the picture may need to be engaged first before engagingthe badge. When the link or ID is selected, the user may be directed tothe account holder's identity verification application page, if theaccount holder has registered and created a valid account. The accountholder page may display the application profile picture created with theidentity verification application account. The application profilepicture may be displayed regardless of the picture engaged on the thirdparty or social media site.

The account holder may access a photo library or take photos through theapplication, in addition to the application account profile picture, andthe application may be embed these photos with the verified badge. Thismay prevent third parties from stealing or otherwise using these photos,such as to create fake accounts. There may be a feature for pushingthese verified or stamped photos to third party accounts, such as asocial media profile. For example, the application may include an optionfor selecting third party accounts to which the stamped pictures shouldbe uploaded. These stamped images may then be engaged to direct avisitor to the account holder's application account page, displaying theaccount profile picture and verification information. Lastly, theidentity verification application may provide for users to enter a nameor ID number to search a database of verified account holders. In someembodiments, the verified page may also direct users to the accountholder's verified online pages and profiles.

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, verification may be aone time qualification process. Once approved, the verification statusmay remain with the account holder as long as the account exists andunless the account is flagged. There may be limits on the number oftimes a user may edit or change certain bibliographic or identifyingdata, such as a name change. The verification stamp may have a hyperlinkwith the user's cyber identification number or GUID, which may beregistered to that user and only that user. In some embodiments, a usermay only be granted one cyber ID or GUID. This may be controlled throughthe matching of biometric data or other verification steps providedherein, such as through e-mail, text-message, or kiosk verification. Asdemonstrated in FIG. 5, when a third party taps or presses averification stamp on a profile 502, it may display the GUID and/or ahyperlink 504, which may direct the third party to the user accountprofile page 506. The account profile page may show the picture of theuser that was created during the account creation/registration process.Therefore, while a user may be able to change certain identificationdata, such as a name, the original profile picture, which may be theencrypted version, may not be changed. In some alternative embodiments,all original registration information may be retained and accessible,despite current information being updated. In some embodiments, the GUIDdisplayed when a third party selects or engages the verification stampmay contain the hyperlink.

The foregoing description and accompanying figures illustrate theprinciples, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of theinvention. However, the invention should not be construed as beinglimited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additionalvariations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded asillustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should beappreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention asdefined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium forverifying an online identity, comprising instructions stored thereon,that when executed on a processor, perform the steps of: storing orcommunicating user data with a user database; capturing a photograph oraccessing an existing stored photograph; selecting at least one of thecaptured or the stored photograph to be selected through user input;automatically layering a stamp on the at least one photograph;automatically combining the at least one layered photograph and stamp tocreate at least one new image file; automatically encoding the at leastone new image file with an encrypted text string resulting in an atleast one encrypted photograph; encoding the stamp with the GUID suchthat the stamp is configured to display the GUID when selected orengaged by a user through a GUI; communicating and storing the encryptedphotograph in the user database; outputting the at least one encryptedphotograph to a dynamic webpage; allowing a user to select at least oneuser profile on a third-party platform; and uploading the at least oneencrypted photograph to the selected at least one user profile.
 2. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the textstring comprises the GUID and an export timestamp.
 3. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising encoding thestamp with a dynamic webpage URL such that the stamp is configured todisplay the link to the webpage URL when selected or engaged by a userthrough a GUI.
 4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim3, further comprising displaying or communicating a URL to the dynamicwebpage.
 5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1,wherein the at least one encrypted photograph is displayed as a profilepicture on the at least one user profile on a third-party platform. 6.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein userdata comprises at least one of biometric data, bibliographic data, anduser contact data.
 7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 6, further comprising collecting user biometric data using atleast one of the device camera, a speaker or a finger-print scanner,wherein the biometric data comprises at least one of a fingerprint, aretina scan, voice recording and a facial recognition scan.
 8. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the dynamicwebpage is a user account profile page and at least one of the at leastone encrypted profile picture created is permanently displayed on theuser account profile page.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 1, further comprising scanning the at least onephotograph for existing malware or bugs and removing any found malwareor bugs.
 10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1,wherein the stamp appearance varies with the amount of user datacollected for verification.
 11. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 1, wherein user data is collected through an independentkiosk.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1,further comprising allowing submission of a real-time verificationrequest of a third-party user.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 1, further comprising collecting at least one of userGPS data and user biometric data.
 14. A method for online identityverification comprising: storing or communicating user data with a userdatabase; sending a verification request using the user data; capturinga photograph or accessing an existing stored photograph; selecting atleast one of the captured or the stored photograph to be selectedthrough user input; automatically layering a stamp on the at least onephotograph; automatically combining the at least one layered photographand stamp to create at least one new image file; automatically encodingthe at least one new image file with an encrypted text string resultingin an at least one encrypted photograph; encoding the stamp with theGUID such that the stamp is configured to display the GUID when selectedor engaged by a user through a GUI; communicating and storing theencrypted photograph in the user database; and outputting the at leastone encrypted photograph to a dynamic webpage.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein the text string comprises the GUID and an export timestamp.16. The method of claim 14, further comprising encoding the stamp with adynamic webpage URL such that the stamp is configured to display thelink to the webpage URL when selected or engaged by a user through aGUI.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein user data comprises at leastone of GPS data, biometric data, bibliographic data, and user contactdata and user data is collected using at least one of the device camera,a speaker or a finger-print scanner, wherein the biometric datacomprises at least one of a fingerprint, a retina scan, voice recordingand a facial recognition scan.
 18. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising allowing submission of a real-time verification request of athird-party user.
 19. The method of claim 14, further comprisingallowing a user to select at least one user profile on a third-partyplatform; and uploading the at least one encrypted photograph to theselected at least one user profile.
 20. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising scanning the at least one photograph for existing malware orbugs and removing any found malware or bugs.